First Google Android phone to debut next week?

The first mobile phone to incorporate Google's open-source Android platform will debut at next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, a source close to British chipmaker ARM Holdings has told Reuters.

According to the source, ARM, a U.K.-based company that makes embedded and graphics processors, as well as processors for mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs, will introduce a prototype for a telephone that uses Android as its operating platform as soon as next Monday.

Google and its partners in the Open Handset Alliance unveiled their open source Android platform last November with the goal of spurring third-party developers to create new and innovative applications for mobile devices.

ARM's rumored Android phone is notable because the company is not a member of the Open Handset Alliance, the 34-member multinational group that's dedicated to promoting Android. Other OHA members, such as T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel, have already announced that they plan on releasing Android-based handsets later this year.

Although neither Google nor ARM would comment on the rumored Android phone, ARM did post an announcement on its Web site saying it planned to "showcase visually stunning mobile Internet devices" at the Mobile World Congress next week that will deliver a "full web in your pocket" experience. The company also says it will be giving demonstrations of other ARM-powered phones such as the LG-KS20 and the Samsung BlackJack II.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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